Tales From Telara
by NightmareCreature
Summary: The Defiant are bringing back more souls from the Soul Stream to combat Regulos and the Bloodstrom


Tales from Telara

The Emergence

It all begins with death. Valitha Feirra opened her eyes to a sight she had thought forever lost to her. The sight of her world, Telara. Valitha sat up and looked around. She appeared to be on an altar, yet she could hear the sound of machinery not too far off.

_Since when has the Vigil allowed for Ethian technology to be in their temples?_ Valitha thought to herself. She took a second to clear her head and looked more closely at her surroundings. The walls of the room she was in was clearly of Mathosian design. Rough edges and superfluous arches and designs. _Just like a lower being to need to display such obscene architecture._

Valitha climbs off the altar and moves cautiously towards the whining sound. She flexes her fingers and calls for the power air and water. She weaves the spell in her mind and lets it build. Blue streaks of lightening moved around her wrist as a ball of energy forms in her palm. She marvels at the ease to which she can call upon her powers. As she nears the doorway, Valitha readies herself to fight.

"We must be gone from this place," a booming voice says from behind the door. "We should never have let you talk us into coming to these ruins. If Gorlian hears about this the Guardians will storm through Freemarch and into Cliffside Vale. They will seek retribution for this."

"For what?" a kindly voice asked. "We have done nothing wrong here."

"Nothing wrong!" boomed the voice again. "We have brought Ethian machinery into a Vigil temple. That alone is cause for concern amongst even the most daring of our group."

"We are the most daring of our group," the kindly voice retorted. "We have come to seek out more warriors to fight for the fate of Telara. They go around with their holier-than-thou attitude because they believe that the Vigil is bringing them back for some divine purpose. Yet here we are, brought back by the wonders of magitechnoligy. None can deny that we are just as 'chosen' as they are. We all once fought for the survival of Telara. And we will all stand against Regulous and the Blood Storm once again."

Valitha let the spell slowly dissipate and used a little wind magic to push open the door. She stepped through. Valitha held the spell a moment longer and let it go completely as she looked upon the faces of legends. Everyone in the room had once fought in either The Blood Storm Wars, or the Great Shade War. Valitha, herself had died much later trying to defend Telara from the increasing threat of Regulous, but all Telarians knew the heroes of old.

"Well what have we here?" the booming voice asked. "Yet another returned from the soulstream. Welcome to the Ascended. Who exactly are you?"

"Now Jhelam, don't be rude. The poor girl has just been plucked from the soulstream and brought back from the dead. "

"How can we be so sure that she wasn't brought back by the Vigil?" a slight woman in the back asked. She was holding a bow, and the arrow that was nocked did not seem to be very friendly.

"We Kelari are no friend of the gods of the Vigil," Valitha replied, hoping that her voice sounded as steady as she wanted it to be. "And I am not a 'poor girl' as you so quaintly put it."

"Kelari?" the bow-wielding woman said. "Can't say I have ever heard of any Kelari. Might be one of the Dragon Cult. They always were a sneaky bunch."

"An elf by any other name is just an elf," the booming voice, Jhelam, said mockingly as he let his hand fall to the hilt of his sword.

"Elf?" Valitha said with disdain. She drew upon the power of the air. "_Avio bastia!"_ she screamed as she sent a blast of air at Jhelam, knocking him back into the female archer. She felt the power flow through her veins as she called upon her powers. "_Electia nimota," _she said. Streaks of lightening hit both Jhelam and the archer and held them in place.

"That is quite enough," the kindly voice said. "We are all friends here. We cannot yet control who we pull from the soulstream. But all those that are brought back by magitech have so far all been allies." The man cast a quick glance at Valitha and flicked his wrist. Valitha felt her grip on magic slipping away. She couldn't call to mind even the simplest of spells. In a matter of moments she was rendered helpless.

"Don't fret," he said. "You will soon have control of your magic again. I am Urian Salin. The big brute is Jhelam Ghium and the quick tempered lady is Tailiah Rei. We are part of a group of Telarians known as the Defiant. We have learned how to pull souls out of the soulstream to fight for Telara, the same way that the Vigil is bringing back the Guardians."

"Why are we in a Mathosian Vigil Temple?" Valitha asked, feeling slightly more secure as her magic was slowly returning, and the hostile looks from Jhelam and Tailiah had been concealed.

"That was actually my idea," Urian said boastfully. "Through much studying of Telara after the Ward was shattered, I have come to learn that there are certain places in the world where the veil is thinner than other places. In those places, it is easier to pull souls back from the dead. I wanted to come to a former Defiant stronghold because I felt that if we can weaken the ideal that the Vigil is the only way in which Telarians can return to fight for their world then the Guardians may see that the gods really have failed us."

"I still would like an explanation as to just who you are," Tailiah said.

"I am Valitha Feirra. I was once a member of the Council of Seirio. We were part of the ruling body of the Kelari. When Regulous appeared and started to try and free the rest of the Blood Storm, Akylios was freed. It caused a great city to be destroyed and we Kelari had to flee our safe haven and comeback to the land of the lower caste."

"You hold yourself in mighty high regard there _elf_," Jhelam said, obviously still sore about having been bested.

"We Kelari are nothing like the High Elves of which I am sure you are trying to categorize me with. We Kelari have achieved a power and knowledge akin to that of the gods. We are not merely servants. We are their equals. So yes, I do hold myself in high regard. Plus a desert dweller like yourself would know nothing of what it's like to hold such knowledge."

"That is quite enough," Urian remarked irritably. "We are to welcome any help that we can get. I have heard tales of the Kelari in my research. It would appear that they were not just myths after all. You use some very interesting magic as well. From what line does it stem?"

"It is called Stormcaller magic. We are of the line of Rinarl Wisaul. It is said that he learned of the art from another but we of the Kelari know not who."

"Stormcaller? I thought that magic seemed familiar. It has changed quite a bit since I last remember it being wielded but the fundamental appear to be the same," Tailiah said more awed than annoyed.

"You know something of Stormcaller magic?" Urian asked surprised.

"Well it is said that the first and greatest Stormcaller was Stormcaller Amunet. There are many tales as to what happened to her after she joined with Thorvin Sternhammer and his band to defeat Greenscale.

Valitha called upon the powers of air and water as she heard footsteps running towards the room. She spun around in time to see a disheveled young boy skid to a halt in the doorway. She quickly released the energies back into the aether.

"Guardian advance force was spotted not too far from here," the youth said.

"We have waited too long," Jhelam said angrily. "We shall surely pay for this dire mistake."

"Which way were they headed Falier?" Urian asked.

"A little to the west of here. Towards the abandoned town of Parcian."

"Parcian is just a few hours ride from here. What could they possibly need from there?" Tailiah asked worriedly.

"There is nothing of importance for the Defiant in that city. There may be something that the Mathosians left there before it was abandoned to the Abyssal."

"There is more sir," Falier's voice quivered as he spoke. "Tylian headed out towards Parcian when we first spotted the Guardians in the distance. It would appear that a tear has formed near the center of the town."

"What?" Jhelam roared. "You mean you waited this long to tell us that Guardians were in the area? Do you not realize that we should not even be in this land? What are we to do if they decide to send a troop this way to cut off any escape routes of either the Abyssal or the denizens of whatever rift is forming?"

"I had ordered them to find out as much information as was possible. If he is only reporting now it is because of my say so," Urian said dismissively. "Let us pack up our supplies and head back to Meridian."

"Any chance you could summon up a way to get us back any faster, eh elf?" Jhelam said, with less hostility than before.

"There isn't enough magic in the entire nexus that could lift your arrogance, Jhelam," Valitha retorted. "However, I can summon a storm to hide our movement. It will be wet and miserable, but we should make it out with relative ease."

"Well no worries for you Jhelam," Tailiaha said. "You are always miserable. So it will be a walk in the park for you." Everyone laughed as they packed up the gear and Valitha summoned a storm and mist to hide the Defiant's retreat.

Thus the Kelari joined with the Defiant in an attempt to save Telara from the clutches of Regulous and the Blood Storm. The world of Telara rests in the hands of those fated Ascended. Who shall prevail?


End file.
